The Buffalo Bills continued their winning ways with a decisive 31-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 NFL action. The Bills (4-0) entered the game as heavy favorites, with some books seeing Buffalo as high as 15.5-point favorites. However, Buffalo things would not be easy for the Bills, as they allowed New Orleans (0-4) to stay within shouting distance for most of the game. The Bills nearly lost the lead early in the fourth quarter, as a touchdown review reversed an apparent Brandin Cooks touchdown. The Saints settled for a field goal in the drive. That would be the final posts that the Bills would allow in the afternoon. It was far from a perfect performance on an ideal fall afternoon for football. Still, a win is a win, and Buffalo will gladly remain as one of the few remaining undefeated teams this season. Here is the Bills Wire’s report card following the Bills’ win over the Saints.
Pass Offense: B-
Buffalo’s aerial attack went through some ups and downs throughout the game. There were times when quarterback Josh Allen had little trouble finding receivers. Then, there was a chunk of the game where the Bills couldn’t muster any forward progress, resulting in multiple punts. The Bills earned some RAC yards, especially with Khalil Shakir’s touchdown reception. Seven different receivers caught passes from Allen. Allen finished 16-of-22 for 209 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Run Offense: A-
James Cook is cementing himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL. At times, the running attack single-handedly kept the offense moving along. Cook has a penchant for making something big when it appears little could be found. He constantly finds extra yards, and Cook is impressive with running through all areas of the line. Cook rushed 22 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. It is the eighth consecutive game that Cook has found the end zone.
Pass Defense: B+
The final numbers were impressive for Buffalo’s pass defense. Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 18-of-27 passes for only 126 passing yards. The Bills sacked Rattler three times. In addition, Cole Bishop’s interception thwarted a Saints trick play at the goal line. However, there were a few worrisome moments. Buffalo’s secondary, particularly Tre’Davious White, was flagged multiple times. The Saints’ touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks, which was later overturned, was a break in coverage in the red zone. Chris Olave broke through with an easy touchdown reception. A more accurate quarterback would have given Buffalo fits today.
Run Defense: C-
Buffalo had some glimmers of good run defense. Deone Walker found his way into the backfield multiple times. However, the defensive line was far too porous against the Saints running attack. New Orleans’ main offensive attack was through the ground game. As a whole, the group rushed 34 times for 189 yards. Alvin Kamara found space while Kendre Miller ran freely downhill. More concerning, the Bills allowed Rattler to break through several times when escaping the pocket.
Special Teams: B
Matt Prater was perfect in the kicking game, conceding all four of his PATs and his lone field goal attempt. The kick coverage was a little disappointing, as the Saints found their way past the 30-yard line on multiple returns. Cameron Johnston averaged 41.5 yards on two official punts. For the second consecutive week, Johnston got blown up and was on the receiving end of a roughing the kicker penalty.
Coaching: B
It was a hot start for the offense, followed by a deep lull mid-game, and concluding with an efficient ending to the game. This offense finds a way to put up over 30 points without feeling electric. The defense put pressure on Rattler with multiple blitz packages. Still, the inability of the defense to limit the opponent’s run game is something to watch moving forward. Yes, the Bills were mixing multiple starters on defense due to injury. Yet, the number of missed tackles was distressing. The Bills used their timeouts early in the second half. The timeout before New Orleans’ two-point attempt worked out in the Bills favor. Still, you’d like that to be taken care of without having to resort to burning a timeout at that moment. The fourth down call with an inside handoff to Khalil Shakir was doomed early on within the play. Once again, it was a fair coaching performance. It was good enough against an 0-3 team. We do, however, expect a bit more from this group when games are a little more meaningful.
